Preface by Chuck Hawks
I decided to reproduce this rather long piece here partly because it is
clearly the author's desire that it be widely disseminated. Another part is
that it makes interesting reading, and I enjoy a good read as much as
anyone. Although the author has some strong opinions, they are informed
opinions, and worthy of careful consideration. Actually, I have an idea
about the identity of "Anonymous," which is another reason this piece
appears here, but it is the author's desire to remain anonymous, and in any
case I could be wrong, so I have made no attempt to confirm my suspicion.
Enjoy Ammunition For The Self-Defense Firearm

INTRODUCTION

This is a guide to help you select the best ammunition for
your defensive firearm. Most of these opinions are based upon the work of
Massad Ayoob, Evan Marshall and Ed Sanow, police officers who have
extensively studied the issue of firearms, ammunition and stopping power. I
refer all interested parties to the excellent series by Ayoob ('In the
Gravest Extreme, 'Stressfire,' 'The Semi-Automatic Pistol in Police Service
and Self-Defense', 'Stressfire II: Advanced Combat Shotgun') and the
comprehensive book 'Stopping Power' by Marshall and Sanow.

In particular, it cannot be stressed too heavily that all
gun owners should own a copy of 'In the Gravest Extreme' and re-read it
periodically. Once you have read it you will understand why. Buy it. (The
Ayoob titles - and other items like Cor-Bon ammunition and Spyderco 'Clipit'
folding knives - are available mail order ([email protected] and $3.95 shipping and
handling) from "Police Bookshelf," P.O. Box 122, Concord NH 03302; telephone
# 1-800-624-9049. American Express, VISA, Mastercard, and Discover cards
gladly accepted. Order today - you will be grateful.)

These three policemen are the world's foremost authorities
on choosing ammunition for real-world defensive use. Their views are based
on exhaustive review of thousands of police and civilian shooting incidents,
autopsies, and ballistic tests.

Some other authorities rely entirely on the latter (e.g.
Dr. Martin Fackler, the FBI Wound Ballistics Lab, the National Institute of
Justice Ballistic Research Laboratory) which is insufficient to make
reliable predictions. Human beings react differently to being shot than
gelatin, goats, or other test media, and bullets that perform spectacular
feats in the laboratory sometimes give mediocre results on the street.

A perfect example of this are the silly 1989-90 FBI tests
which resulted in the FBI choosing the mediocre 10mm S&W Model 1076 and the
180 grain JHP round. For this reason, I have chosen to rely on Ayoob,
Marshall, and Sanow when it comes to selecting my ammunition and strongly
advise you do the same. What follows is essentially a distillation of their
opinions. I urge you to research the sources listed for a more detailed
discussion than is possible here.

I cannot stress too heavily that the primary determinant
of stopping power is BULLET PLACEMENT. A cool, deliberate marksman with a
little .32 Walther PPK will beat a panicky, inaccurate man with a .357
Magnum or $1200 customized .45 auto every time. Whatever firearm and caliber
you select, you must practice firing hundreds - thousands - of rounds in
realistic defensive scenarios until you can confidently make disabling hits
on your target. Tactics and marksmanship win gunfights - not having the
latest 'wonder bullet' in your gun.

Unfortunately, I cannot teach you tactics in this short
essay, only recommend proven ammunition. You MUST seek out competent
training in tactics and marksmanship from a qualified instructor in your
area. In the meanwhile, studying Ayoob's great book 'Stressfire' will get
you off to an excellent start.

Self Defense Ammunition Generally

American ammunition is the best in the world. Stick to
Federal, Cor-Bon, Remington, Winchester or CCI (the Big Five) ammunition.
Some foreign stuff is pretty good (PMC, IMI-Samson, Fiocci), some foreign
stuff is great (Dynamit-Nobel, Norma, GECO), some foreign stuff is
practice-only junk (e.g. CDM - Mexico, military surplus), but no foreign
stuff is anywhere near as good as domestic ammunition when it comes to
vanquishing hostile attackers. Buy American.

Never use hand-loaded or re-loaded ammunition for
self-defense! You may encounter some joker who says he can hand-load
ammunition so powerful it will knock anything on two legs down for the
count, but don't buy it. This junk will either misfire or ruin your gun. Use
only fresh factory-loaded cartridges, period. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to
this rule: use factory-loaded cartridges only.

Handguns

One should carry only hollowpoint ammunition in a
defensive handgun. Hollowpoint ammunition has much better stopping power
than full metal jacket or round-nose lead, and stopping power is what you
need when being assaulted.

The point is not to wound or kill the adversary: the point
is to stop him in his tracks and make him cease attacking you. "Stopping
power" (sometimes called "knock-down power") refers to a particular bullet's
ability to incapacitate an attacker - the greater that ability, the less
chance that your attacker will be able to continue shooting, stabbing, or
beating you after you have shot him.

Handguns are not death-rays; despite what you see in the
movies, the vast majority of people shot with handguns survive (over 80%).
Handguns are weak compared to rifles and shotguns, and thus you want every
edge you can get. Great ammunition is no more expensive than mediocre
ammunition, so carry the best. Rifles and shotguns have stopping power to
spare; handguns do not. Thus you must select your handgun load very
carefully, and the detail of the handgun ammunition section reflects this.

Hollowpoint ammunition is NOT more lethal than ball (full
metal jacket) ammunition. You may have seen media hype about "killer dum-dum
bullets" but this is nonsense. Hollowpoint bullets usually expand and stop
in the human body, and thus the attacker absorbs much more of the bullet's
kinetic energy than if the bullet had merely zipped through him and left two
small holes. Hollowpoint ammunition is also safer for all parties concerned.

* You are safer because your attacker is more likely to be
incapacitated after one or two shots and thus unable to fire back, stab you,
or whatever. The decreased likelihood of your attacker dying from
hollowpoint bullets saves you the moral and legal complications and expense
you will experience from killing a man.
* Innocent bystanders are safer because hollowpoint bullets are less likely
to exit the attacker's body and go on to injure anyone else. The ricochet
danger is also much lower than that of ball ammunition, and hollowpoint
bullets are less likely to penetrate walls or doors and strike uninvolved
third parties. Furthermore, if your foe is incapacitated quickly he won't be
spraying wild bullets around, endangering uninvolved third parties.
* Lastly, your attacker is safer because he is far less likely to die from
one or two hollowpoint bullets than the five or six round-nose slugs you
would have had to fire to put him down. Most gunshot deaths occur from shock
and loss of blood, and ball rounds tend to make entry and exit wounds,
whereas hollowpoints go in and stay put. An attacker shot twice with ball
ammo will probably have four holes in him rather than two, and is thus in
far greater danger of death from blood loss. If you can avoid killing your
attacker you should, for both moral and legal reasons.

There are some exceptions to the "carry only hollowpoints
in a handgun" rule. Some older or cheaper automatic pistols, will jam with
hollowpoint rounds. With these guns one must use ball rounds (or "full metal
jacket" rounds - the terms are synonymous), and I specify "reliable with
ball only" models by caliber. It is crucial for you to test your pistol to
make certain it is reliable with specific loads - don't rely on my advice.
My life will never depend on the reliability of your handgun. Your life may.

Rifles

Generally speaking, hollowpoint bullets are the best
choice for rifles. Some soft-point designs are recommended, and these will
be specified.

Shotguns

Use buckshot. Slugs and birdshot are useful in some
limited and uncommon situations.

A Note On Exotic Ammunition

There are several exotic ammunition designs on the market
today, such as the Glaser Safety Slug, Mag-Safe, GECO BAT 9mm, Thunderzap,
et cetera. Generally speaking, I recommend that you avoid them. Exotic
ammunition is expensive, inaccurate, and often unreliable. These rounds cost
so much ($2-$4 each) that you will never practice with them and thus will
not be certain of their reliability and accuracy in your gun. This is a big
mistake: you should not carry a particular type of ammunition until you have
fired at least 150 rounds through your semi-automatic gun to ensure reliable
feeding (this doesn't really apply to revolvers, but you should still fire
the ammunition you intend to carry to assure yourself of its accuracy).

'Glaser Safety Slugs' are one exotic round I can fully
recommend, but only for revolvers in a few scenarios. The Glaser is a proven
man-stopper and has very good quality control, but may not feed or cycle
reliably in your automatic pistol. Because you cannot afford to fire enough
Glasers to establish that it feeds reliably in your pistol (i.e. 100
test-fire rounds will cost $300), I cannot recommend them for pistol owners
(if you insist on Glasers, carry one in the chamber and load the magazine
with a proven hollowpoint. Be aware, however, that the Glaser may not have
the power to cycle your slide, and thus you may be carrying a single-shot
gun. You can always cycle the slide manually, of course, but this takes time
and both hands; two things you may not be able to spare when fighting for
your life. The Walther PPK, H&K P7 series and SIG P230 are notorious for
this failure-to-cycle problem with Glaser Safety Slugs).

With revolvers feeding is not an issue, of course, but
there are other factors to consider. The Glaser is designed for easy
break-up and minimal penetration, which is great for cutting down ricochet
and over-penetration dangers but drastically limits its ability to penetrate
light cover between you and your foe. A car window, hollow-core door, or
even thick winter clothing between you and your assailant can cause the
Glaser to disintegrate and leave him unharmed. Bad news for you....great
news for him.

There are some situations where the Glaser is a good
choice, however. I keep my bedside .357 revolver loaded with .38 Special+P
Glasers because I live in a thin-walled apartment building and want to be
able to put down an intruder rapidly without worrying about injuring my
neighbors. I chose .38 over .357 Magnums because I am likely to be in a
just-awakened daze and would rather not be blinded and disoriented by the
flash, kick and blast of firing a .357 Magnum in a (probably darkened) room.
You may have a similar situation (e.g. retail store defense) where injury to
third parties is of concern, and you'll likely be facing an assailant at
extremely close range where the Glaser's inaccuracy and inability to
penetrate cover will not be drawbacks. In these narrowly defined scenarios,
the Glaser is a good choice, but keep a couple of speedloaders of
hollowpoints handy, just in case. I do.

Glaser Safety Slugs are available in "Blue" or "Silver"
versions. The latter are a little heavier for better penetration, but
performance is similar. I would be happy with either, but Sanow prefers the
Silver. It's up to you.

Mag-Safes are imitations of Glasers, and I cannot
recommend them due to poor quality control. Reliability is the number one
requirement of a self-defense handgun, and Mag-Safes don't make the grade.

GECO "Blitz Action Trauma" or BAT 9mm rounds from Germany
are a proven design. Called the "GECO Action Safety" in Europe, this is a
high velocity (1400 feet per second) lightweight (86 grain) hollow bullet
that has proven itself to be very reliable and successful on the street. I
recommend them, but they are very tough to find. Save yourself the trouble
and use a good American-made hollowpoint.

Thunderzaps are ultra-lightweight bullets made of
aluminum. They are made in .38 Special caliber only, as of this writing, and
have not yet been proven on the street.

Other exotics are best avoided. You may occasionally
encounter "Omni-Shocks," "Terminators," "Annihilators," "Kaswer Law
Grabbers," and other such marginalia in gun shops. Stay away. If you want to
gamble, go to an Indian reservation. Don't gamble with your life, or the
lives of others. Glasers and GECO 9mm BATs are the only proven exotics.

Terminology

I have tried to keep specialized technical jargon to a
minimum, but it will be helpful for you to understand a few terms and
acronyms:

- 'Ball' is round-nosed metal jacketed ammunition. It is
used for self-loading firearms like pistols. All military pistol and rifle
ammunition uses full metal jacket bullets. Synonyms for ball include FMJ
("full metal jacket"), MC ("metal case") and TMJ ("totally metal jacketed,"
a term used only by the ammunition maker CCI). Ball rounds do not expand and
are always the worst choice in a defensive round. The military uses ball
because it feeds well (i.e. rarely jams), penetrates far, and the military
is required to use ball under the Geneva Convention. Fortunately, you are
free to choose better ammunition, and should use ball for practice only.

- 'Wadcutters' and 'semi-wadcutters' are sharp-shouldered
revolver bullets with an odd cylindrical appearance. True wadcutters are
very weak rounds used for target shooting only. Unless you own a .38 or .357
revolver, forget about these.

- 'Jacketed soft-points' are jacketed bullets with exposed
lead at the tip. These make poor defensive rounds for handguns but may be
effective for rifles, due to the latter's high velocity. Never use JSP
rounds in a handgun for self-defense. Never.

- 'Jacketed hollowpoints' are the best choice for handguns
and most rifles. JHP rounds have a hollow cavity in the nose and usually
expand (and stop) in the body of your attacker, transferring all their
kinetic energy for maximum stopping power. They are the safest and best
bullets available. JHP bullets are always best for self-defense.

-'Round-nose lead' (or RNL) are generally revolver bullets
without any metal jacket around the bullet. These are worthless for
self-defense, and I don't even use them at the range. If you come upon a
bargain lot of RNL ammo, feel free to buy it for target practice. You will
be scrubbing out your barel until the wee hours, however, as all-lead
bullets scum up barrels something fierce. Use 'Flitz' metal polish to scour
out the grimy residue.

HANDGUN AMMUNITION BY CALIBER

(Note: for an excellent and comprehensive look at the best
handgun rounds by caliber, see the article 'What Are The Best Loads For
Defense?' by Ed Sanow in the July, 1995 issue of Petersen's 'HANDGUNS'
magazine)

.22 Long Rifle

You should really be using something bigger than a .22 for
self-defense, but even a .22 beats nothing. There are some really nice .22
pocket autos, and they make a lot of sense for women reluctant to tote a
bigger gun around. Choose any Federal, Remington, Winchester or CCI
metal-plated 37 grain (or lighter) high velocity hollowpoint round. I
recommend CCI "Stinger" 32-gr. or Remington "Yellow Jacket" 33-gr.
hollowpoints, as they have been very reliable in my Beretta 21A and Walther
TPH pistols.

Shoot a lot of rounds through your self-defense .22, the
ammo is cheap and you want to be sure to pick a reliable round. If
high-velocity solids don't cycle reliably try standard-velocity. There is
little difference in power but it may improve your gun's reliability (e.g.
Jennings J-22 pistols are more reliable with standard-velocity solids).
Marksmanship is crucial with such a tiny gun, so practice drawing your .22
and firing it rapidly into a melon at ten feet or so. Also keep your .22
autoloader meticulously clean - these tiny guns cannot function reliably
with much gunk in them. If you carry your .22 in a pocket, purse or ankle
holster inspect it daily and brush off any dust or grit with an old
toothbrush. Lubricate it properly, too. This is very important.

.25 ACP (6.35mm)

The best .25 load is the Hornady 35-gr. XTP-HP round. If
it jams, use any Federal, Remington, or Winchester 50 grain ball round.
Winchester has an odd 45 gr. "Expanding Point" round that should be OK if it
is reliable in your gun (it seems to work fine in Beretta 950 pistols, for
example), but don't expect any improvement in performance over the 50 grain
ball rounds. The excellent Walther TPH .25 should be loaded with ball.

The Hornady 35 grain JHP should be considered only if it
is 100% reliable in your pistol - fire 200 rounds through your gun to see.
Ed Sanow recommends the MagSafe 22 grain "Defender" and Glaser 40 grain
Safety Slug.

.32 ACP (7.65 mm Browning, 7.65x17mm)

Use the Winchester 60 gr. Silvertip Jacketed Hollow Point
(X32ASHP) if it is reliable in your gun. I personally would only carry
Silvertips in a Seecamp LWS .32. Most of the common .32 autos on the market
are only reliable with 71 grain ball: Llama, Walther PP and PPK, Czech CZ-24
and CZ-70, Davis P-32, Colt Pocket Model, Mauser HSc, etc.

.32 Smith & Wesson Long

The best defense load for this obsolescent revolver
caliber is the Federal 98 gr. lead wadcutter (32LA). Shoot carefully.

.32 H&R Magnum

Federal 85 gr. Jacketed Hollow Point (32HRB). Stock up;
this ammunition won't be available for long. Federal will drop it soon due
to lack of demand.

7.62x25mm (a.k.a. 7.63mm Mauser)

If you're using this obsolescent communist caliber I can
only assume that you have an old CZ-52 or Chinese Tokarev. Only 87 gr. ball
ammo is available, so leave the cheap Chinese military stuff for practice
and carry Fiocchi 7.63 Mauser ball in your gun.

.380 ACP (9mm Short, 9x17mm, 9mm Kurz)

Now we're getting into some decent stopping power. The
three or four best .380 JHP rounds have better stopping power than ANY
bullet fired out of 2" barrel .38 Special snub-nose. All of the Big Five
make good hollowpoints for this caliber. The Remington 88 grain JHP is the
most reliably-feeding hollowpoint but slightly less effective than the
Hydra-shok or Cor-Bon. Reliability is crucial, and thus you must test the
rounds before carrying.

These are the two best .380 loads, and I recommend them
for these guns:
SIG/Sauer P230, Beretta 84/85, Browning BDA, CZ-83, H&K P7K3, Walther PPK
and PPK/s. The Russian, East German, Chinese and Bulgarian Makarov pistols
are apparently perfectly reliable with the hot Cor-Bon, and the strong
all-steel construction of these guns should stand up to an infinite amount
of these potent rounds. I have heard that the Colt does also well with the
hot Cor-Bon JHP, which you should definitely look into if you own a Colt
.380. You have better stopping power than any .38 snub-nose revolver (the
long-time favorite concealment sidearm) when you load your .380 with these
two rounds.

Other good .380 ACP jacketed hollowpoints:

- Remington 102 gr. Golden Saber BJHP (GS380M) - Another
excellent .380 load (the BJHP stands for "Brass Jacketed Hollow Point"), the
heaviest one available. I prefer the Cor-Bon and Hydra-shok, but many
(including Sanow) like this new Remington round for its deeper penetration.
I'll stick with the Cor-Bon and Hydra-shok, but the choice is yours.
- CCI-Speer 90 gr. Gold Dot JHP A good all-around hollowpoint.
- Remington 88 gr. JHP (R380AI): A good high-velocity hollowpoint that feeds
well in: Colt Government Model .380, H&K HK4, Taurus PT-58, older PP and PPK,
Bersa .380, Beretta 70s, Makarov and Hungarian FEG. These are all good guns
that might choke on other hollowpoints but they will probably feed the
Remington fine. This hollowpoint was redesigned in 1993 and gives excellent
performance while retaining its rounded shape for positive feeding. If your
.380 chokes on other JHP loads, try fifty rounds of the Remington 88 gr.
through your gun and see if it improves.

.380 ACP hollowpoints to avoid:

-Winchester 85 gr Silvertip (X380ASHP) I really cannot
recommend this weak and jam-prone round. It works reliably in a few modern
European guns (e.g. SIG 230, Beretta 84F), but every load named above offers
better performance. The Silvertip will likely jam in any American-made .380
automatic. Russian .380 Makarovs and PPK series guns may jam with the
Silvertip, as well. The .380 Silvertip was once state-of-the-art, but has
since been superceded by superior designs. It is also quite expensive. Look
elsewhere.
- PMC-Eldorado Starfire 95 gr. JHP This round is similarly weak and
jam-prone.
- Federal 90 gr. JHP (380BP) (see below)
- Hornady 90 gr. XTP-HP (9010) Both the Federal 380BP and the Hornady XTP-HP
never expand and may jam many guns due to their truncated-cone bullet nose
profiles. Pass by these two.

Cor-Bon makes the only 9mm Mak hollowpoint on the market,
an excellent 95 grain JHP that is totally reliable in all East Bloc pistols.
Go buy it. If you cannot find it, order it by mail. Use ball only as a last
resort, or for practice.

.38 Special

Loads for Full-Sized .38 Revolvers With 4" or Longer
Barrels: The Numero Uno .38 Special defense load for your 4" barrel revolver
is the Cor-Bon .38 Special+P 115 grain JHP. It is very high-pressure load
and should be used only in modern six-shot revolvers. It has less felt
recoil and muzzle flip than the #2 choice, which follows. When I carry a 4"
.38, I want it loaded with this cartridge.

The second-best choice is the .38 Special+P 158 grain lead
semi-wadcutter hollowpoint (LSWCHP) available from Federal, CCI, Winchester
and Remington. Ayoob has found the latter to have the greatest expansion, so
I would choose Remington (catalog #R38S12). This unjacketed all-lead round
(often called the "FBI load" or "Chicago load") is a proven manstopper,
about on par with .45 ball, when fired from a 4" barrel. Your fixed-sight
.38 revolver it will shoot to point-of-aim with this load: lighter bullets
will shoot low (some very low). All fixed-sight .38s are regulated at the
factory to shoot accurately with 158 grain bullets, as this was the weight
of the long-time standard American and Canadian police load.

* Federal makes the FBI load in their Nyclad line covered
with a thin Nylon jacket (#P38G). I don't know why you would want this over
their all-lead version (#38G), but if you like it, fine. It works as well as
the all-lead round, and you won't have to worry about airborne lead
particles clogging up your lungs, or whatever.
* CCI offers the famous FBI load in their economical aluminum-cased Blazer
line (#3523). This is a bargain. What I really recommend, however, is that
for practice you use the CCI Blazer 158 grain JACKETED hollowpoint (#3526)
because it duplicates the ballistics and recoil of the FBI load without
fouling your barrel with hard-to-scrub-out lead deposits. These are a bitch
to clean (I use 'Flitz' metal polish with good results. It will also remove
unsightly "burn rings" from the cylinder face of your stainless-steel
revolver).

Note: .38 Special ammunition is loaded to two pressure
levels: standard pressure and +P. Standard pressure loads may be used in any
.38 Special revolver, but +P loads should be fired extensively only in
steel-frame .38 Special revolvers. Firing a few (under fifty) +P loads in
your aluminum-framed .38 Special revolver will not destroy it or cause it to
explode, but will damage your aluminum-framed revolver if you fire more than
a hundred rounds. If I carried an aluminum-framed .38 Special revolver for
protection, I would not hesitate to carry +P .38 Special loads yet use
mostly standard pressure loads for practice. The main problem with carrying
+P .38 Special loads in an aluminum-framed .38 Special revolver is that the
kick is nasty and slows repeat shots. Thus I recommend standard pressure
ammunition for aluminum-framed .38 Special revolvers, as it is much easier
to score fast hits.

Other .38 Special Loads for Your 4" Barrel Revolver:

IMI-Samson also offers a lightweight, very high pressure
load, the 110 gr. +P+ JHP. This is said to be a ballistic duplicate of the
law-enforcement-only "Treasury" load that T-men used to carry. Who cares?
The Cor-Bon 115 gr. +P load is superior. And never use any 147 grain bullet
in any caliber. They are cursed.

All major manufacturers catalog light .38+P hollowpoints,
from 95-129 grains. None of these are as successful as the Cor-Bon .38
Special +P 115 grain JHP or 158 grain +P LSWCHP, so why carry them? Light +P
loads only make sense in a 2" barrel snub (more on this later). The Federal
Hydra-shok and Winchester Silvertip may look cool, but the boring-looking
Cor-Bon and FBI loads do the job in a 4" revolver. Stick with them.

PMC makes a bizarre 66 grain tubular hollow bullet load.
Some enthusiastic gun-shop salesman may try to sell it to you. Refuse
politely. Stay the hell away from the weird and idiotic Remington
"Multi-Ball" (R38SMB) - I have no idea what they were thinking when they
created this worthless load. Also avoid the Remington 95 grain +P SJHP
(R38S1) due to inadequate penetration.

The Glaser Safety Slug is a good choice for self-defense
in a .38 revolver of any barrel length (see caveats under "exotic
ammunition," above). It is crucial to keep the chambers and frame interior
absolutely free of oil or solvents when carrying Glasers, as you don't want
any Breakfree CLP or Hoppe's #9 solvent seeping into the primer pocket and
deactivating the round. This is important for all rounds, of course, but the
Glaser isn't known for particularly good sealing against such mishaps. You
may also want to consider carrying two Glasers as the first rounds to be
fired, and JHP loads for the rest. This gives you a bit of insurance if your
assailant tucks himself behind a sheet rock wall or doorway or some other
flimsy cover that JHP rounds can blast through.

A Special Note on Snub-Nose .38 Revolvers With 2" or 3"
Barrels: The Cor-Bon .38 Special+P 115 grain JHP and 158 grain LSWCHP FBI
load are not the best choice for 2" or 3" barrel revolvers. The short barrel
does not provide enough velocity to ensure reliable expansion with these
load, and the unpleasant and hard-to-control recoil hurts snub-nose accuracy
(as well as your hand). Controllability is crucial, and I recommend lighter
+P loads, or even non +P standard pressure loads, for the .38 snub-nose.

If you carry an aluminum-frame snub nose .38 (e.g. S&W
Model 38 Bodyguard, 642, 442, 37, or Colt Cobra) I urge you to carry a
standard pressure (non +P) .38 round. Firing a few +P rounds won't ruin your
gun, but extended +P use will cause some damage (say, over 100 rounds).
Lightweight snubbies kick like a mule with the FBI load or other +P rounds,
and more controllable standard loads will enable you to get more hits in
rapid fire (remember - only hits count). The best standard pressure .38 load
is the Federal 125 grain Nyclad lead hollowpoint (P38M). This P38M
hollowpoint - known as the "Chief's Special load" - was specifically
designed to expand at lower velocities and is the industry leader in
standard pressure .38 rounds. I particularly recommend this round for women
who carry .38 snubs (steel- or aluminum-framed), as women tend to be weaker
and more sensitive to blast and kick. This may seem sexist, but it's also
true. Another acceptable standard pressure .38 load is the Winchester
Silvertip 110 grain JHP (X38S9HP), but I strongly prefer the Federal Nyclad
P38M .38 Special.

Note well: if you have a J-frame Smith & Wesson snub-nose
.38 (i.e. the five-shot Model 36/37 Chief's Special, Model 38/49/649
Bodyguard, the 640/642/442/940 Centennial) you can greatly improve the
controllability of your gun by installing Uncle Mike's "Boot Grip." This is
a $14 godsend. The skinny little wooden grips that come on these guns are
worthless. Installing good grips does wonders for your ability to control
your .38 snub-nose revolver in rapid fire for more hits.

9mm Parabellum (9mm Luger,9x19mm, 9mm NATO, or simply
"9mm")

This is unquestionably the world's most popular pistol
round. For this reason it has been the subject of a lot of experimentation,
because 9mm ball - used by every army in the Western world - is a mediocre
manstopper. Jacketed hollowpoints are a must if one wishes to rely on the
9mm as a defense round. Use ball ammo for practice only.

9mm ammunition is available in two pressure levels:
standard and "+P." The latter should only be used in newer guns (made since
1985 or so), and is best used sparingly. I will deal here with only
commercially available ammunition: there are specialized loads available
only to law enforcement personnel. Civilians should not worry, as there are
commercial loads as good or better than anything restricted to law
enforcement usage.

I will now tell you the best 9mm Luger load for
self-defense: it is the Cor-Bon 9mm 115 grain +P Jacketed Hollowpoint. This
is the most powerful and street-proven manstopper available in this caliber.
It is a high velocity (1340 fps) and high pressure round, and more effective
than any load restricted to law enforcement use (such as the Federal 9BPLE).

Unfortunately, it is also likely to jam many older guns.
For this reason I add a table at the end of the 9mm section discussing round
suitability for different guns. Modern hollowpoints may either (a) jam, or
(b) be too powerful for some older guns. This load is suitable only for
First Class pistols (see table).

The best standard pressure 9mm load is the Federal 115
grain JHP (9BP). Its effectiveness and accuracy make it the world standard.
Buy several boxes. Other excellent standard pressure 9mm loads are the
Winchester Silvertip 115 grain (X9MMSHP), Federal 124 grain Hydra-shok
(P9HS1) and Federal Nyclad 124 grain (P9BP) JHP. The Nyclad may feed better
(than the metal-jacketed 9BP) in some older guns - such as Browning
Hi-Powers - which is good enough reason to use it in your older pistol. It
is nearly equal to the excellence of the 9BP in terminal performance.

For guns that may jam with the Cor-Bon or Federal 115
grain hollow-points, the Remington 115 grain +P JHP is a good choice
(R9MM6). For older guns I would use the Remington standard pressure 115 gr.
JHP (R9MM1).

Now it is time to impart some crucial information: NEVER
use 147 grain ammo in a 9mm pistol! There was a stupid fad for 147 grain
hollowpoints a few years ago, and many were suckered into buying these weak,
worthless and malfunction-prone rounds. I don't care what you've heard:
never use any 9mm hollowpoint heavier than 125 grains. 147 grain
hollowpoints often jam in many popular 9mm guns like the Browning Hi-Power,
SIG, Beretta 92, S&W and Glock. Ignore the gun magazine hype and stick to
what works. If you want to gamble, go to Reno. Don't gamble with your life.
147 grain ammo sucks.

German GECO "Blitz Action Trauma" or BAT 9mm rounds are a
proven man-stopping design. Called the "GECO Action Safety" in Europe, this
is a high velocity (1400 feet per second) lightweight (86 grain) hollow
bullet that has proven itself to be reliable and successful on the street. I
recommend them, but they are very tough to find. Save yourself the trouble
and use good 115 grain hollowpoints like the Cor-Bon or Remington +P or
Federal 9BP.

(Note: just because your pistol appears in Class 3, say,
doesn't mean it is unreliable: it may indeed feed hollowpoints. But you must
fire at least 200 rounds of your chosen JHP carry load to determine if your
pistol will feed them properly. I have placed pistols in each category
according to reputation and experience. These are only meant as guidelines -
your pistol may feed JHP rounds better - or worse - than this table
indicates)

First Class pistols are ultra-reliable and high-quality
new guns than can feed any hollowpoint and tolerate +P loads with no
problems: SIG/Sauer P220 series. Czech CZ75 and CZ85. Walther P5, P5C, and
P88. Heckler and Koch USP and P7 series. All Glocks. All Ruger 9mm pistols.
Taurus PT-99, PT-92 and PT-92C. Steyr GB. Beretta 92 series. Browning BDM
and Hi-Power (if it says "Portugal" on the slide). All Smith & Wessons with
a four-digit model number (e.g. 5906, 3913, 6904, 5903) and the Smith &
Wesson 900 series. Star M28, M30, M31, and all Firestars, Megastars, and
Ultrastars.

Cor-Bon, Winchester and Remington all make good jacketed
hollow-points in .38 Super. I like the Cor-Bon 115 and 124 grain
hollowpoints the best. The Remington will feed more smoothly in many guns,
however, especially Colts and Colt M1911A1 copies like the Springfield
Armory and Auto-Ordnance. The Llama .38 Super tends to jam with anything
except ball.

.357 Magnum

The most effective handgun round on the market -
regardless of caliber - is the Federal .357 Magnum 125 grain jacketed
hollowpoint (357B). This load has more stopping power than any other handgun
bullet (and this includes more powerful rounds like the .41 and .44
Magnums). I advise all experienced revolver men to carry the legendary
Federal 357B in a .357 revolver, or the equally good Remington full-power
125 grain semi-jacketed hollowpoint (R357M1).

There is one caveat, however. The 357B and other
full-power .357 Magnums have a lot of blast and kick. If you are not
comfortable with the buck and roar of full-house .357 Magnums, I would
strongly suggest that you use a lower-recoil round. Controllability is
important, and you will be able to fire lower-recoil rounds more rapidly and
accurately. All of these .357 loads have excellent stopping power, so don't
worry that you are giving up too much.

In descending order of severity of recoil (i.e. the
Silvertip kicks the most) I recommend the Winchester Silvertip 145 grain JHP
(X357SHP), The Remington Golden Saber 125 grain JHP (GS357MA), Federal 110
gr. JHP (357D), Remington Medium Velocity 125 grain Semi-Jacketed
Hollowpoint (R357M11) and the Cor-Bon 115 grain JHP. The latter two are
excellent rounds I strongly recommend for .357 Magnum 2.5" and 3" barrel
snub-nose revolvers like the S&W Models 66, 19, 65, 13, the Colt King Cobra,
the Ruger GP100 and especially the small-frame Ruger SP101. If you still
find that your .357 kicks too much, carry the Cor-Bon .38 Special+P 115
grain JHP discussed above. Two or three hits with good .38+P slugs beat any
number of misses with .357 slugs.

Note well: if you are using the factory wood stocks on
your S&W or Taurus .357 revolver, you are a fool. Ruger and Colt .357
Magnums come factory-equipped with recoil-absorbing ergodynamic rubber
grips, and I have no idea why S&W and Taurus continue to put wood grips on
their .357 revolvers. The difference in control is enormous. Get some good,
compact rubber grips from Uncle Mike's or Pachmayr and slap them onto your
.357 revolver ASAP. I used to cringe every time I fired a full-power load in
my .357 Magnum snub-nose. Once I put some compact Pachmayr grips on it,
however, I had no problem firing the 357B accurately and rapidly. These
grips only cost twenty bucks. Buy some.)

Other good .357 Magnum loads.

The 125 grain jacketed hollowpoints by Cor-Bon,
Winchester, and CCI are all good stoppers. The CCI Blazer 125 grain jacketed
hollow-point is a very good buy, both for practice and self-defense use. The
110 grain jacketed hollowpoints by Winchester, CCI and Remington are all
good for use in snub-nose revolvers, or for those sensitive to recoil. You
never go wrong with a 110-125 grain .357 jacketed hollowpoint from the Big
Five. All are great stoppers.

Crappy .357 Magnum loads you should not carry for
self-defense.

Never carry soft-points, semi-wadcutters, or any of the
158 grain or 180 grain jacketed hollowpoints - these are solely for hunting
or target use. Stick to jacketed hollowpoints under 150 grains in weight.
The heavier bullets kick heavily and will shoot high and confuse you.
All-lead bullets are okay for practice but you will have to spend twice as
long cleaning your gun. And stay the hell away from the bizarre and idiotic
Remington "Multi-Ball" (R357MB) - I have no idea what they were thinking
when they created this worthless gimmick load.

.357 SIG

There is only one .357 SIG JHP available, the Federal 125
grain jacketed hollowpoint, so use it. I am unsure what advantage this
caliber is supposed to have over the .40 S&W, but it should prove to be a
good stopper on the streets. .357 SIG ballistics are quite impressive.

.40 Smith & Wesson

This caliber is establishing an excellent track record on
the street. Smith & Wesson and Winchester really did their research when
they invented the .40 S&W. Your choice comes down to either the 180 grain
jacketed hollowpoints or the 135-155 grain jacketed hollowpoints by Cor-Bon,
Winchester, Federal, CCI or Remington. All are good stoppers, but the
lighter weight bullets have the best stopping power records on the streets.

The real-world shooting database is small, but clearly
favors the lighter 135-155 gr. JHP loads. I personally would carry the
potent Cor-Bon 135 or 150 grain jacketed hollowpoint or the Winchester
Silvertip 155 grain jacketed hollowpoint (X40SWSTHP). The 135-155 grain JHP
kicks less and has higher kinetic energy and stopping power than the 180 gr.
JHP loads. The 135 gr. JHP appears to be a real stopper.

In short, you cannot go wrong with the .40 S&W - unless
you carry ball. Choose a good hollowpoint and stick with it. Leave the ball
for practice (the CCI Blazer 180 grain TMJ is a good inexpensive practice
round).

10mm Auto

The 10mm is not living up to expectations. It was thought
to be the ne plus ultra of pistol rounds when introduced in the late 1980's,
but hasn't turned out to be superior to the better 9mm, .40 S&W or .45 ACP
jacketed hollowpoints. This isn't to say that the 10mm Auto sucks - it is a
fine stopper. It's just that we hoped for so much more.

10mm Auto ammunition is available in two power levels,
"full-house" and "medium velocity," as used by the FBI (sometimes called
"10mm Lite"). The "full-house" loads should be left for hunting use: they
kick heavily, blow right through assailants, and are very hard on your gun.
Stick to the medium velocity ammo. I would pick the Cor-Bon 135 grain Nosler
JHP, Federal 155 grain JHP (10E), or Federal Hydra-shok 155 gr. JHP
(P40HS2). The "FBI load" is the 180 grain subsonic JHP, and Federal,
Winchester, and Remington all produce good ones. Take your pick, but you are
silly to ignore the superior real-world performance of the lighter 135-155
grain jacketed hollowpoints.

The potent Winchester Silvertip 175 grain JHP (X10MMSTHP)
is close in power to the "full-house" loads, and may be a good choice for an
experienced shooter who is used to heavy recoil. I personally would only
carry the Silvertip or "full-house" loads in the field, where I might have
to shoot big, cranky animals that seem interested in munching on my bodily
parts. In this role the 10mm auto excels.

.41 Magnum

The best defense choice for this hard-kicking caliber is
the Winchester Silvertip 175 grain JHP (X41MSTHP2). The Remington 170 grain
Semi-Jacketed Hollowpoint (R41MG3) is also a good round.

.44 Special

By far the best choice for your .44 Special revolver is
the Cor-Bon 180 grain JHP. Glasers or the Winchester Silvertip 200 grain JHP
(X44STHPS2) are also good rounds, particularly for any 5-shot .44 revolver.

.44 Magnum

The blast and kick of this powerful caliber make it less
than optimum for defense use, despite what you have seen in the movies.
Cor-Bon's 180 grain or Federal's 180 grain (44B) medium-velocity JHP are the
hands-down choices in this caliber. Glasers, the Winchester Silvertip 210
grain JHP (X44MSTHP2) or the Federal 240 grain Hydra-shok (P44HS1) are also
acceptable choices.

.45 ACP (occassionally called "11.43x23mm" by some
silly Europeans)

The .45 ACP is a recognized manstopper, and there are many
excellent loads in this caliber. Some of the best:

- Federal 230 grain Hydrashok JHP (P45HS1): a great load,
and my #1 choice. It gives the most stopping power in this potent caliber.
- Federal 185 grain JHP (45C) another top-notch load from Federal. I would
choose this round for a compact, short-barrelled .45 like the Colt Officer's
ACP or the S&W 4516. It has lighter recoil than the Hydrashok or CCI 200 JHP,
and its higher velocity makes it more likely to expand out of a short 3.5"
barrel.
- Cor-Bon 185 grain Sierra JHP
- CCI Lawman 200 gr. JHP (3965). a.k.a. the "Inspector" or "Flying Ashtray."
- CCI Blazer 200 gr. JHP (3568). The "Flying Ashtray" in an economical
aluminum case. Both of these CCI loads use a wide-mouth hollowpoint bullet
that may jam some guns. It is 100% reliable in newer guns like the current
production "enhanced" Colt 1911A1, the SIG/Sauer P220, Star M45 Firestar and
Megastar, and all Smith & Wesson, Para-Ordnance, and Ruger .45 automatics
and the Smith & Wesson Model 625 revolver. (Note well: if you are one of
those knuckleheads who install light springs in your gun to get a lighter
trigger pull you are asking for trouble. Never use CCI ammo in such a gun,
as CCI uses especially hard primers and your hammer might not be able to
detonate the round reliably, now that you have monkeyed with it.)
- Remington 185 grain JHP (R45AP2). This is the best choice for older guns
that may jam with other hollow-points. I would select this load for the
Heckler and Koch P9S, Browning BDA, Springfield Armory, AMT and Thompson
M1911A1, Llama, Star PD, etc.
- Cor-Bon and Remington .45+P 185 grain JHP (R45AP6). These are very
powerful and hard-kicking rounds best left to the experienced shooter. They
are pretty hard on your gun, especially an aluminum-framed pistol like the
SIG/Sauer P220 or Colt Lightweight Commander. If you are sufficiently expert
to confidently carry the .45+P you certainly don't need my advice on load
selection. That being said, these +P rounds are second only to the famed
Hydra-shok in stopping power. They really sledgehammer the bad guys down.

Other good .45 ACP loads.

The Winchester Silvertip 185 grain JHP (X45ASHP2), CCI
Gold Dot and Remington Golden Saber (GS45APB) are all good choices. If you
like them, fine, but they have no edge over loads mentioned above. I say
stick to the tried and true.

Ball.

The .45 ACP "hardball" load (the standard military 230
grain full metal jacket) is a pretty good stopper, the only FMJ round I
would feel comfortable relying on for defense. Save the ball for practice,
but if you must carry it (because your gun jams with hollowpoints) feel
confident that you will put any assailant down rapidly with one or two
well-placed hits. The Llama, Federal Ordnance, AMT, and Auto-Ordnance
M1911A1 copies often jam with anything except 230 grain ball. Never
compromise when it comes to reliability: if your gun only feeds ball, then
ball is what you carry.

.45 Colt

I hope your self-defense .45 Colt is a good double-action
design like the Smith & Wesson Model 25 and not some single-action hunting
gun. Load your revolver with the Cor-Bon 200 grain JHP. The Federal 225 gr.
Lead Semi-Wadcutter Hollowpoint (45LCA) or Winchester 225 gr. Silvertip JHP
(X45CSHP2) are also good.

SHOTGUN AMMUNITION BY CALIBER (Gauge)

The shotgun is the ne plus ultra of manstoppers. No other
weapon will put a man down as reliably as a shotgun, and no other weapon is
as likely to hit your opponent as a shotgun filled with buckshot. No doubt
you have heard a lot of nonsense about the lethality of "assault rifles" and
"Uzi sub-machine guns" and the like. The fact is that the shotgun is by far
the deadliest and most effective firearm for short-range personal defense.
For example: an Uzi or Heckler & Koch sub-machine gun has about 340 ft-lbs.
of impact energy - a 12 gauge shotgun has 2500 to 3100 ft-lbs. of impact
energy, and it is a heck of a lot easier to hit your target with a shotgun
than a sub-machine gun.

The shotgun is not a magic weapon that will slay all foes,
but it is simply the most effective man-stopping firearm yet devised. I
invoke the Ascended Master, Massad Ayoob: "It is perhaps the most efficient
close-range killing machine in the world's arsenal of small arms." For a
discussion of the shotgun's strengths and weaknesses I refer all interested
parties to Ayoob's excellent and comprehensive book 'The Truth About
Self-Protection' (truly the best $8.95 investment you'll ever make), which
discusses every element of self-defense from locks, chemical sprays and
alarms to defensive driving, firearms and defending yourself against dogs. A
more in-depth treatment of the issue may be found in Ayoob's book-length
volume on shotgun technique, 'Stressfire II: Advanced Combat Shotgun'.

A Note On Terminology

Shotgun ammunition falls into three general categories:

BUCKSHOT - shell loaded with large-diameter lead balls
(.24" and up) used for big game hunting and self-defense. The number of
pellets in 12 gauge buck-shot varies from eight .36" balls in "000 buck" to
27 .24" pellets in "#4 buck". Buckshot ratings are archaic and hard to
understand (as are shotgun specifications and ammunition in general), but
thankfully there isn't much you need to learn. Simply write down the
recommended loads, walk into your local gunshop and announce your desired
ammunition (note that "00" is pronounced "double ought" and "000" is
pronounced "triple ought." Don't say "zero zero" or "oh-oh-oh buckshot" in
front of gunshop employees - they will snicker and mock you cruelly behind
your back). Then practice with both your selected defense load and low-cost
birdshot to fully familiarize yourself with the operation of your gun and
its terminal performance (e.g. patterns at various distances, the startling
effects of buckshot on ballistic melons).

BIRDSHOT- small-diameter pellets used for bird hunting.
Its stopping power is poor, except when used at very close range - out to
20-30 feet. For that reason it is not generally recommended, except for home
defense use.

SLUGS are solid lead bullets for shotgun use. These are
big, heavy, fat hunks of soft lead that have enormous stopping power (e.g. a
typical 12 gauge slug is .73" caliber and weighs 438 grains - a 9mm bullet
is .355" and 115 grains). Use of slugs ruins the shotgun's main advantage -
superior hit probability - as slugs must be carefully aimed to be effective.
It is important to remember, however, that shotguns must be aimed with shot,
too - do not for a minute think that you can simply point your shot-loaded
shotgun at the foe and let loose. Shotguns must be skillfully aimed and
fired just like hand-guns and rifles. The shotgun is simply more likely to
hit the attacker.

.410 Gauge

None of the above really applies in this weak caliber. The
.410 is only a half-way decent manstopper with slugs. Choose the Federal
Classic (F412RS) or Winchester Super-X (X41RS5) 1/5 ounce (88 grain)
hollowpoint slug. Never use birdshot. American Derringer Corp. has produced
an odd buckshot load for the .410 (withthree 000 pellets), and I advise you
to ignore it. Lose the .410 and buy a 20 gauge pump shotgun.

20 Gauge

The 20 is an excellent self-defense caliber, particularly
for those who dislike the recoil of the 12 gauge. I recommend the 20 gauge
over the more popular 12 for home defense. Choose the 20 gauge 3" shell
Federal "Classic" #2 buckshot (F207-2-5PK) with 18 pellets, or the
Winchester "Double XX" Magnum #3 with 24 pellets (X203C3B). If your gun
cannot accept 3" shells choose the Remington #3 with 20 pellets
(SP20BK5PK-3). All of these loads provide definitive short-range stopping
power.

I specifically recommend the 20 gauge for women and
recoil-sensitive men who dislike the blast and recoil of the 12 gauge.
"Delivering roughly the ballistic force of two .44 Magnum rounds at once,"
comments the knowledgeable Ayoob, the 20 "delivers 75% of the lead for only
50-60% of the recoil". Many police departments have found their officers
shoot much more accurately in realistic training exercises with the
lighter-kicking but still potent 20 gauge.

If you are new to shotgunning and considering getting one
for self-defense I strongly urge you to buy the reliable and
reasonably-priced "Mossberg 500 Special Purpose" 18.5" barrel 20 gauge pump
shotgun (catalog #50451). This tried-and-true workhorse is the standard
shotgun of the U.S. Armed Forces and costs a little over $200. You'll be
much happier with the lighter-kicking 20 gauge than the 12 gauge version
used by the military, and - most importantly - you'll shoot the 20 more
accurately and rapidly.

For an in-depth look at the 20-versus-12 gauge issue I
recommend all shotgun owners (and potential shotgun owners) read 'Stressfire
II: Advanced Combat Shotgun' by Massad Ayoob. Perhaps I am beginning to
sound like a broken record on the theme of Ayoob's books, but once you've
read them you'll understand why I recommend them so highly (and repeatedly).
Note: Ayoob dislikes the 20 gauge Remington 870 pump shotgun and recommends
you choose the Mossberg 500 in 20 gauge for general self-defense and
home-defense use. So do I.

For ultra-close range home defense birdshot will do the
trick. Choose any #4, BB or larger high brass lead hunting load, and have
the balance of the magazine filled with #3 buck in case the birdshot doesn't
put them down fast enough.

Avoid slug use in 20 gauge; you are better off defending
yourself with buckshot. If you must use slugs, pick the Dynamit/Nobel or
Federal "Classic" (F203-RS) rifled slugs. Using slugs requires careful
aiming and rifle sights: few 20 gauge shotguns have the latter.

16 Gauge

The 16 has slipped in popularity with Americans. As a
result, no shotguns made specifically for defense are available in 16. If
you have a sporting 16, however, it can do double duty as a great defense
gun. Choose the Federal "Classic" #1 (F164-1) or the Remington #1
(SP16BK-5PK) buckshot load.

12 Gauge

If you have a 12 gauge shotgun you own the most effective
and devastating short-range firearm ever created. If you simply want to know
the best defense load, go out and buy: 12 gauge 2 3/4" shell 00 buckshot.
You shall live happily ever after, as this is the most effective
man-stopping firearm cartridge yet devised by man. I recommend the Federal
"Classic" (F127-00), Winchester Super-X (X12RB5) or Remington Buckshot
(SP12BK-5PK00) as the best double-ought buckshot defense rounds. One of
these rounds is virtually equal to a nine-round burst from a submachine gun,
with every round hitting.

Effective shotgun technique, of course, requires that one
hits with each shot. Don't think that you can merely point the shotgun in
the general direction of your attacker and let fly. Read Ayoob's book 'Stressfire
II: Advanced Combat Shotgun' for the low-down on good shotgun skills and
then practice, practice, practice.

Many experienced shooters prefer #4 or #1 buckshot to 00.
I really cannot argue, but Lt. Marshall is on record as stating that 00 is
superior, both in penetration and stopping power. Good enough for me, but if
you have a #4 or #1 buckshot jones, go ahead (Ayoob favors #1). Stay away
from 2 3/4" Magnum or 3" Magnum loads, however - the brutal kick of these
rounds makes them a bad choice, and you gain nothing in stopping power over
the 2 3/4" standard loads. Controllability is important, and standard 12
gauge shells have quite enough kick as it is.

A note on shotgun spread: firing your shotgun does not
create a diabolical cone of doom destroying all in its path. If you have a
typical defense or "riot" gun with an 18"-20" open-choked "cylinder" barrel,
the pellets will spread out about 1" for every yard of range. This means
that the spread of pellets fired across a large room (18') will be 6" or so,
a circle the size of a coffee cup saucer. At 50 feet, the spread will be the
size of a large pizza (16"). Test-fire your shotgun at various ranges, using
big white butcher paper targets to get an idea of the pattern you can
expect. It is a common misconception that blasting at foes ten feet away
will take out two or three of them. The spread at that range is just three
inches, so you can see that I meant it when I said that the shotgun must be
skillfully aimed and fired just like handguns and rifles. The shotgun is
simply more likely to hit - and stop - the attacker.

Slugs are potent manstoppers, but have limited application
for self-defense. Slug use loses the one big advantage of the shotgun - its
high hit probability. Slugs have ferocious recoil and often over-penetrate.
There are special situations where slugs might be preferred over buckshot
(e.g. road-blocks, barricaded foes), but if you are interested in such
esoterica I again direct you to Ayoob's masterful tome 'Stressfire II:
Advanced Combat Shotgun'. This guide is for general civilian readers;
policemen, soldiers, and gun enthusiasts should rely on Ayoob's in-depth
expertise.

Don't be a knucklehead. Stay away from weirdo rounds like
rubber buckshot or neoprene slugs. These are riot-control rounds designed
for massed police use against violent mobs. Don't rely on such marginalia to
save your life.

Two things to keep in mind about birdshot. The first is
that birdshot is as lethal as buckshot at close range. Don't believe for a
second that you can just wound someone with birdshot and he'll go on to live
another day. If you aren't justified in killing a man, you aren't justified
in wounding him, either. Never "shoot to wound." I once again direct you to
read Ayoob's 'In the Gravest Extreme' and learn the truth.

The second thing is that birdshot makes a lot of sense for
home defense. I keep my home-defense 12 gauge loaded with two #4 birdshot
rounds followed by 00 buck. Birdshot is much less likely to penetrate thin
interior walls and kill innocent people on the other side, and has lower
recoil than buckshot for faster follow-up shots (I live in a thin-walled
apartment house, however - if I lived in a solid house with a lot of land
around, I would definitely choose buckshot instead). The stopping power of
birdshot should not be under-estimated: at ranges out to thirty feet or so,
birdshot is virtually a solid column of lead (imagine an angry swarm of bees
chasing Elmer Fudd and you'll get the idea). Choose any #4 or BB high brass
lead hunting load. I like the Federal "Classic Lead Hi-Brass" #4 birdshot
(HI26-4) and Winchester "Super-X" #4 high brass birdshot (X12-4), but there
is little difference between the various choices. Buy whichever you please.
If you're a bird hunter, use your favorite hunting shells as long as they
are #6 or larger.

10 Gauge

Yow. Load your 10 gauge with whatever the hell you want.

RIFLE AMMUNITION BY CALIBER

Rifles aren't a great choice for most self-defense
applications. Quoth Ayoob: "The rifle is not well suited to the sudden,
close-quarters deployment and maneuvering that is required of a defensive
firearm. On the battlefield, yes. In civilian close combat, no way." Ayoob
adds that "the rifle is too bulky for maneuvering through doors and
hallways, too long to quickly and surreptitiously pick up when the attacker
drops his guard, and too easy for the criminal to take away if the
homeowner's attention is diverted."

That being said, if all you have is a rifle then a rifle
is what you use. Some liberal-infested cities ban handgun ownership
(Chicago, New York, Detroit), so you are stuck using shotguns and rifles for
home defense. Take some comfort from the fact that rifles have better
stopping power, are a strong visual deterrent, and are much easier to hit
with than any handgun. Never use ball (FMJ) for self-defense in a rifle.

.22 Long Rifle

A good semi-auto .22 rifle like the Ruger 10/22 or Marlin
Model 60 can do the job when nothing else is available. Use any
high-velocity round (I like the CCI "Stinger" or CCI "SGB" hunting load,
#0058) and fire repeatedly. Multiple hits are crucial with a .22: shoot and
shoot and shoot some more. Stay away from the after-market large-capacity
magazines made by Ram-Line, Eagle, Hot Lips, etc: these plastic nightmares
are unreliable, jam-prone and easily breakable. Use factory magazines only
for self-defense, and keep a few spare loaded magazines handy.

This is the standard NATO rifle round and the best choice
for a self-defense rifle. Many top-notch rifles are (or were) available in
this caliber: the Colt AR-15, Ruger Mini-14, Steyr AUG, FN FNC, et cetera.
All good .223 defense rifles have been banned as "assault rifles" - Thank
you, Democrats - but you may already own one. If so, lucky you.

All .223 hollowpoints are good stoppers. I really like the
Federal 40 grain P223V high-velocity hollowpoint (formerly called the
"Blitz" round). Marshall says this is the #1 urban defense load. It is
lighter than other .223 bullets, however, so you'll need to adjust your
sights if you carry the P223V (it shoots lower than all other .223 loads).

If you want better penetration than the P223V offers,
choose any good 55-69 grain hollowpoint from a big name manufacturer (I like
Federal). Softpoints offer even greater penetration, probably more than you
need.

Note: older .223 guns with a 1 in 12" rifling twist shoot
more accurately with 55 grain bullets (as they were designed for the old
U.S. Army M193 ball round). Newer rifles with a faster 1 in 7" twist (this
includes the AR-15A2 and nearly all European models) prefer the heavier
60-70 grain bullets (like the M855/SS109 ball round). Ruger Mini-14 rifles
have a 1 in 10" twist and do well with either bullet weight. This is only
important at longer ranges. Save the cheapo ball rounds for practice.

7.62x39mm Soviet(7.62 mm Russian Short, 7.62 mm M43
Combloc)

Some prefer this East Bloc cartridge to the .223 for
defense use. It is an excellent round, most commonly used in SKS and AK-47
derived rifles, as well as the Ruger Mini-30. Use any 123-125 grain
softpoint from Cor-Bon, Federal, Winchester, or Remington. PMC makes a good
low-priced 125 grain softpoint (PMC762B) you might like if you have a lot of
magazines to fill. Russian hollowpoints have been imported recently, but I
know little of them.

.30 M1 Carbine

Never use ball in your M1 for defense! .30 Carbine ball
sucks, but .30 Carbine hollowpoints work very well. Buy the Winchester 110
grain Hollow Soft Point (X30M1) and forsake all others. I mean it.

.30-30 Winchester

This hoary old round has survived so long for a simple
reason: it works. Load your Winchester or Marlin .30-30 lever-action rifle
with any hollowpoint - I recommend the Federal 125 grain (3030C). Leave the
soft-points for hunting and practice.

.308 Winchester (7.62x51mm NATO)

An excellent rifle cartridge, perhaps the best. The best
.308 round in the world is the Federal Gold Medal 168 grain Boat-Tail
Hollowpoint Match (GM308M).

Other boat-tail hollowpoints are good, too. This is an
excellent rifle caliber, the world standard.

9mm Parabellum

Generally the same as for pistols, above. The neat and
handy Marlin Camp Carbine is totally reliable with Remington 115 grain
jacketed hollow-points (R9MM1), so use them. Heckler & Koch, Uzi and Colt
9mm carbines will feed anything, so I recommend the Cor-Bon 115 or 124 grain
+P JHP. Any reliable hollowpoint is a good choice in a 9mm carbine, and the
long barrel makes for high velocity and effectiveness.

.30-06 Springfield

This excellent and time-proven cartridge has too many
top-notch loads to list. Knowledgeable men like the Federal Gold Medal 168
grain boat-tail hollowpoint (GM3006M), using the superlative bullet that
made the .308 Federal Gold Medal a world-beater.

.357 Magnum

Follow the guidelines for revolvers, above. The .357 makes
an excellent carbine round for urban self-defense in a Marlin lever-action
or (my favorite) an Action Arms/Israeli Military Industries "Timber Wolf"
.357 pump-action carbine.

.44 Magnum

Pick any good hollowpoint, using the guidelines for
revolvers (above). Don't be tempted to use softpoints - these hunting rounds
will blow right through your foe.

.45 ACP

Select your hollowpoint according to its reliability in
your gun, using the guidelines for auto pistols, above. The neat and handy
Marlin Model 45 Sport Carbine is totally reliable with Remington 185 grain
jacketed hollow-points, so use them. The long barrel gives you +P velocities
without the damaging effects of +P pressure loads (which should NOT be used
in a Marlin). Auto-Ordnance Thompson semi-autos are only reliable with 230
grain ball.

THE END

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